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Nick Diaz never has been one to go down without a fight.
An attorney representing the Ultimate Fighting Championship star filed a motion Wednesday in a Las Vegas courtroom seeking a review of a disciplinary order made against Diaz by the Nevada Athletic Commission after a hearing in May.
Keith Kizer, executive director of the NAC, said he thinks this is the first time a fighter has challenged an NAC disciplinary ruling in a courtroom in his nearly 15 years with the commission...

Despite a promised title shot after an impressive showing against Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4, Lyoto Machida is now out of the immediate title picture. He spoke with Globo Esporte on a number of topics, including UFC 152 and his desire to fight welterweight king, Georges St. Pierre, at middleweight.
Lyoto Machida, one of the top Light Heavyweight Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) talents, was recently on the cusp of receiving a much desired rematch with current champion, Jon Jones. After his impressive knockout of Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4, he was promised a title shot against the winner of the Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson fight that was scheduled for UFC 151.

Was there a Jiu-Jitsu fan that didn’t jump out of his seat when Vitor Belfort slapped that armbar on Jon Jones?
Countless practitioners “pulled” along with, tugging on an imaginary appendage to help the black belt coax the tapout from Jones; but the champion was one tough nut to crack. What followed was a barrage of elbows and frontal and spinning kicks that wore away at the Brazilian’s resistance, ultimately putting him away by americana lock in the fourth round.
But why didn’t that armbar pay out?
“It was bending backwards, in so tight. I think two things were missing: to bring the knee in when doing the armbar, and to hug the leg to work the sweep. Then Jon Jones really wouldn’t be able to defend, because he’d be swept,” Gilbert Durinho, Vitor’s Jiu-Jitsu coach, weighed in.
But from the photo taken behind the scenes afterwards one could tell the hold took its toll. The champion with his arm in a sling showed just how much damage was done. The loss doesn’t matter too much, what counts is Vitor’s grit.
UFC 152
TORONTO, CANADA
SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

How do you prepare for arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history on just a few weeks' notice?
Stephan Bonnar (14-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) is still trying to figure it out as he readies for a late-notice light-heavyweight fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (32-4 MMA, 15-0 UFC) next month at UFC 153.
"It's just like cramming for a final in college," he told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "I've got a big test in a few weeks."
So how do you prepare for such a major pay-per-view fight with essentially a three-week fight camp?

Retired UFC fighter and current broadcaster Kenny Florian is in shape.
After all, "round is a shape," he told recently joked with MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).
But the former UFC title challenger, who was the first competitor to fight in four different UFC weight classes, said injuries are healing, he's getting in better shape, and he's now hesitant to completely discount the possibility he'll someday return to the cage as a fighter.
Florian (14-6 MMA, 12-5 UFC), who commentates this weekend's UFC on FUEL TV 5 event with booth mate Jon Anik in Nottingham, England, retired from MMA back in May, seven months after his final UFC appearance: a title loss to featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 136. Sure, it was the fighter's third unsuccessful bid at a UFC title, but during an illustrious nine-year pro career, "The Ultimate Fighter 1" runner-up became one of UFC's biggest fan favorites.
However, the 36-year-old called it quits after a back injury kept him out of the gym and made training all but impossible. Recently, though, he's seen improvement on that front
.

With reports by AsainMMA.com saying that Japanese MMA promotion Dream’s parent company, Real Entertainment, has closed up shop, major MMA in Japan is at a crossroads right now.
Speaking to MMAWeekly.com, AXS TV’s Hans Thompson said of Real Entertainment’s closing, “I don’t have exact numbers on how many staff, but they essentially haven’t had a staff for much of this year aside from a handful of individuals.”
Thompson believes that Real Entertainment had kept Dream on life support as to not lose booking rights for one of Japan’s premier areas on one of its biggest entertainment days...

Five fighters, including UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, were issued indefinite medical suspensions following this past weekend's UFC 152 event.
The Office of the Athletics Commissioner of Ontario today released the suspensions to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
UFC 152 took place Sept. 22 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, and in his fourth consecutive title defense, Jones submitted Vitor Belfort in the night's pay-per-view headliner...

Fighters left in the lurch following the cancellation of "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy" will be compensated, MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned.
Jorge Gurgel, Pat Healy, Adriano Martins, Jorge Santiago, Josh Thomson and Yuri Villefort were among those confirmed to have been promised at least partial pay, and additional sources confirmed the promotion is planning to compensate all 19 athletes who were left without a fight.
The exact amount issued to each fighter was not disclosed, but sources MMAjunkie.com spoke to said many fighters received their contracted "show" money.
"I cannot give you amounts because the financials involved are private, but I can tell you that Zuffa is taking very good care of Jorge Santiago and Yuri Villefort," said Authentic Sports Management publicist Jen Wenk in a statement...

World Series of Fighting has a headliner for its debut event.
A heavyweight bout between Andrei Arlovski (17-9) and Devin Cole (20-9-1) will serve as the main event of WSOF 1, officials today announced.
WSOF 1 takes place Nov. 3 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The event's main card airs live on NBC Sports Network, formerly known as Versus.
"We are thrilled to welcome both Andrei and Devin to the World Series of Fighting roster and to have them headline our first live event," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo stated.

TORONTO -- The fight business can be both crazy and cruel.
Jon Jones was somewhere in the bowels of the Air Canada Centre getting his injured left arm wrapped and put into a sling when the questions began about who might be next for the light-heavyweight champion.
With four successful title defenses, he's just one shy of tying Tito Ortiz's divisional record. So who might be the man he'll oppose in the fight that could send him into the history books next to Ortiz? How about the man who he briefly was paired up with at UFC 151: Chael Sonnen.
To be blunt, it's unlikely to happen right away. Sonnen, after all, is supposed to fight Forrest Griffin in December. And if he wins, well, UFC president Dana White knows what is likely next.
"He’s going to call out Jones, there’s no doubt," he said. "He’s very good at ... everybody talks about him talking his way into fights, but you know that guy’s going to show up to win."
Jones didn't want to face Sonnen the first time it was proposed to him, but White seemed to believe his stance has changed, saying, "I can tell you right now I think they both want that fight. I just think there's other fights that make sense."
The obvious one is Dan Henderson. He was queued up to face Jones when a knee injury knocked him out of his title opportunity. White seemed to indicate he would probably move back to the front of the line when he's healed up, but didn't outright confirm it.
The issue might be further complicated by the still-undetermined injury Jones suffered at UFC 152. He said afterward that doctors thought it could be nerve damage, but he won't know for sure until he returns home and sees doctors, according to his manager Malki Kawa.
Given the UFC's demanding schedule and the injuries in play, that means that the door is open just a crack for the possibility that Sonnen finds his way into the match he originally wanted. According to White, it is ultimately up to the fans.
"People do want to see it," he said. "I don’t know. Who knows? People do want to see it. If enough people do want to see it, I guess I’d have to make it."

A light-heavyweight bout between Anthony Perosh (13-7 MMA, 3-4 UFC) and Joey Beltran (14-8 MMA, 3-5 UFC) is the latest addition to December's UFC on FX 6 event.
UFC officials confirmed the matchup with "The Daily Telegraph."
UFC on FX 6 takes place Saturday, Dec. 15, at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Australia. The event's main card airs live on FX (on Friday, Dec. 14, in the U.S. due to the time difference) following prelims on FUEL TV.
Perosh vs. Beltran likely will be part of the prelims...

In 12 days, Invicta Fighting Championships will crown its first champion when Jessica Penne faces off against Naho "Sugi Rock" Sugiyama at Invicta FC 3 in Kansas City, Kan. The bout will be contested for the inaugural Invicta FC atomweight title at 105 pounds.
The women's bantamweight division has received a considerable amount of attention from fans and media in recent months due to the meteoric rise of Strikeforce champion "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey, but Invicta FC has opted to put the spotlight on the lighter weight classes for its third event in order to showcase the depth of talent that is available...

The top billed bout on the UFC 152 preliminary card special on FX was a light-heavyweight bout between the surging Igor Pokrajac and the returning TUF runner up, Vinny Magalhaes.
In the second round Vinny was able to do what he does and finish his opponent via armbar to make his return to the Octagon a successful one.
Igor, apparently didn’t like the Brazilians strategy and took to twitter to voice his complaint.

Mike Pyle (23-8-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) is back to work in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas.
The welterweight today tweeted that he's set to fight James Head (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale, which takes place Dec. 15 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
It's not yet clear whether Pyle vs. Head serves on the event's FX-televised main card or FUEL TV-televised prelims.

If Jon Jones is the end boss no one can beat at the arcade that attracts a crowd around the cabinet and the next challenger, hoping the next guy can accomplish what the last couldn't. Then Vitor Belfort is the guy who mashed all the buttons he could while wearing a cast on his hand utilizing a hybrid two-finger technique on the joystick that nearly delivered a win. Props are given all around in the warm glow of the 'game over' screen, hands are rested on shoulders and god knows (really, she does) that Vitor did everything he could, but Jon Jones has once again claimed another quarter.
For a moment last night I thought we were going to see a Tim Sylvia/Frank Mir type stoppage, but Big John was calm cool and collected and let the fight rightly go on through the armbar that heaven sent. The fallout looks like this: last night we saw reports coming out of the Bones camp saying he may have nerve damage in his arm, but nothing is confirmed yet. Next, we found out Vitor Belfort fought Jon Jones with a broken hand, which explains the guard pulls. Both of these dudes walked out of the Octagon with some newly unlocked Badass Tokens if you ask me.
Jones: "In there, I felt as if there was a point where I don't think physically he could have extended it even more," "I mean, it was popping, and I felt after 25 years that I've never felt that feeling before. I just came to terms with what was going to happen, just thinking, 'Man, I can't believe I'm getting ready to lose this way.'"
"I wasn't close to tapping out at all," "I was ready to face the music and get it broken if I had to get it broken. I proved a lot to myself tonight and I'm grateful for it. I haven't gotten x-rays, so I'm not going to sit here and feed into a little pain. But I'll definitely live on to fight another day. Every time I extended my right hand or tried to use an elbow on my right side, I felt it. I felt as if I really didn't have any power in my right side at all but it's a long ways from my heart."
Belfort: "I had my opportunity," "I think when I heard the pop, I kind of lost the pressure, and he got away. It is what it is. I thought I really had that arm, but he fought through it. He did great"

Las Vegas, Nevada – STRIKEFORCE® announced this evening that its event planned for Saturday, Sept. 29 at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, Calif. has been cancelled. STRIKEFORCE lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, who was set to defend his title against Pat Healy, sustained an injury in training that forced his withdrawal from the card.
Without the Melendez-Healy title bout, SHOWTIME®, which determines which fights are televised on the premium network, decided that it would not air Saturday’s scheduled event.
“When SHOWTIME informed us that it would not be airing the event, we made the difficult decision to cancel Saturday’s card in Sacramento,” STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker said. “Without a television partner, we simply could not move forward with this event. We wish Gilbert a speedy recovery and will work diligently and quickly to reschedule the fighters affected by this news on upcoming cards.”
Refunds for tickets purchased are available at point of sale.
About STRIKEFORCE® -
Owned and operated by Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC, which also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand, STRIKEFORCE® is a world-class mixed martial arts promotion based in Las Vegas, Nev. that currently holds live events annually across the United States. First established as a mixed martial arts entity in 2006, STRIKEFORCE now broadcasts its events live on SHOWTIME® and has produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network. With a growing roster featuring the world’s elite competitors, STRIKEFORCE has cemented its place as a leader in providing quality mixed martial arts action.

For the past few years in the world of MMA heroes and villains, Michael Bisping has almost always been rated as public enemy No. 1.
The brash Brit never holds his tongue, doesn’t mind speaking out about any subject, and has no problem dropping a few expletives for an opponent or anyone really when the mood strikes him.
But something strange happened to Michael Bisping on his way to the stage for the UFC 152 weigh-ins on Friday – he received a loud ovation from the Toronto crowd and most of the noise came from cheers, not jeers.
Bisping has routinely soaked in the boos from fans in the past, and has even admittedly reveled in the moment when he gets to play the bad guy. Over the past few months however it appears Bisping might be turning a corner with the fans, who are starting to enjoy his personal brand of delivering pre-fight hype and exciting fights in the cage...

Divorce is always hard and while both parties involved try to remain amicable, it happens quite often that things break down and end up in a shouting match between the two parties.
It’s no different in the world of sports and television because when relationships are going well, there’s nothing but smiles and handshakes all around. But when things break down, and the mud starts slinging, it’s open season on any and all comments made towards each other in the press.
For months after leaving Spike TV in favor of a new 7-year deal with Fox, UFC President Dana White remained on fairly solid ground with his former television partner.
He wasn’t likely going to send much business their way, but still White stayed fairly friendly towards his competitors at Spike TV after their long relationship helped build the UFC and the network to new heights.
Now, the gloves are off and both seem ready to aim and fire at one another whenever the gun is loaded, and following UFC 152 on Saturday night, White blasted off a few shots at his former television home...

TORONTO – After months of controversial developments outside of the cage, Jon Jones is still very much the same man inside of it.
The UFC light heavyweight champion survived a brief scare from massive underdog Vitor Belfort, but "Bones" proved why he's considered by some to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport with a thorough dismantling of his opponent.
The bout served as the main event of Saturday's UFC 152 event at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The fight aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Jones shot in on a single-leg takedown attempt, and Belfort looked for a guillotine choke but instead fell to his back. As Jones looked to posture up, Belfort threatened by securing the right arm and quickly turning his hips for an armbar that momentarily looked as if it would see him pull off the miraculous finish. However, Hones stood and shook Belfort off his limb and set back up in top position. Still, the moment sent the Toronto crowd into a frenzy, and fans chanted his name. It didn't seem to faze Jones, who methodically disassembled Belfort's face with crushing elbows and punches.
Belfort started the fourth with an exchange on the feet, but he couldn't land flush, and he instead fell to his back. Jones seized the opportunity and gave up the ground and pound in favor of a submission attempt, quickly latching on to a keylock from side control and cranking the right arm. Trapped, Belfort had no choice but to tap.